Funny sort of day.
Didn't seem to learn much.
Seemed all we did was play.
Then teacher wrote some letters
On a board all painted black,
And then we had a story and...
I don't think I'll go back."
Sure, Mama said there'll be days like this, but little did she know they could be so perfectly captured in a poetry anthology. In this catchy collection, Simon James gathers 19 poems by writers such as Rod Hull ("First Day of School"), Eve Merriam, Ogden Nash, and Charlotte Zolotow; illustrates them; and wham! Days like this become something to look forward to. Celebrating the joys and trials of summer days at the beach, strumming a one-string guitar in the moonlight, bouncing on a bed, and watching rain fall, this buoyant book is worth a second, third, or 99th look. James's sensitive watercolor portrayals of the world as seen through the eyes of small people will amuse and touch readers of all ages. Simon James is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Leon and Bob, a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year. (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter